Advice needed on building a casket

[Silas Smith]

A dear friend of the family is coming to the end of her battle with cancer. One of her wishes was to have a "Little House on the Prarie" style casket, meaning something simple and that wouldn't leave her family with a big funeral bill. (She is fairly young and has 4 children with the oldest being 14.) I have intermediate skills and I feel that I could help her out by making a casket for her. I know this has been done by several members over the years and I was hoping you could share any "lessons learned" with me before I begin.

I'm still going over the general design, but I know that I will be making it out of cherry and it will be a simple rectangle, so no compound angles. I would like to dovetail the main box as well, but that would also require the sides to be solid wood and I also have 4 full sheets of cherry ply available to me. Something in a simple mission style or similar style appeals to me.

A couple of concerns I haven't been able to figure out are:

What do the outside dimensions need to be to fit in the shroud that usually goes over the casket that prevents the ground from collapsing after the casket decomposes?
What do I need to know about the handles in terms of strength and clearance?
Are there issues doing this sort of thing with the funeral home or local regulations (Ohio)?
What don't I know that I don't know in general?

[Wayne Lomman]

Silas, its a sobering task you have taken on but the memory will be with you for the rest of your life in a good way. Myself and a mate built a coffin for our other mate who died unexpectedly and his wife had no money. The trouble is I can't remember the details of how we did it. What I do remember is that the undertaker was very understanding about why we were doing it and gave us all the specifications and hardware. That was important as there were minimum regulations to comply with. That was in New South Wales in 1998. On this basis, my suggestion is to talk to the local undertaker, explain what you are doing and why, and see if they will help. Cheers

[Don Wurscher]

Check out this at Rockler.com.
http://www.rockler.com/do-it-yourself-coffins-book

[Erik Loza]

I can't add anything to this thread except to say that I am sorry for your loss and also, this is one of those things I've always wondered about about but never has an opportunity to ask. Thank you for asking about this.

Erik

[Mel Fulks]

Since she wants something simple,I would not use the modern type handles. You could run rope through blocks or make a
graspable lower edge. That works well when the coffin is shouldered, I think that is a more dignified look anyway. These days coffins are sometime carried ,at least for a few convenient steps , head first. That should never happen. Don't think you need to worry about it fitting into vault as the wood coffins are inherently leaner than the metal caskets. She might get a laugh if you tell her you refuse to let anyone think she was overweight. Good of you to take this on.

[Frank Pratt]

I've participated in building 5 caskets for family members. I don't recall dimensions, but the handles on the sides need to be hinged to clear the mechanism they use for lowering. Lee Valley carries a limited selection of casket hardware.

Also, allow for a little more inside length than the height of the occupant. With my dad's casket, we made it just as long as he was because of size restraints with the veneer we used. However, post-mortem, his feet pointed down & wouldn't budge. That made him a few inches taller. Created a few awkward moments when we had to stuff him in the box :)

[Frederick Skelly]

Silas, this is an extremely kind thing to do and you have my deep respect for taking it on yourself. I'm with the others who said speak to a funeral director and explain the circumstances. Perhaps they will call a colleague in Ohio on your behalf, or at least give you a contact.

This is a truly fine gift to give your dear friend.

Fred

[Silas Smith]

I must admit it is a little daunting as I fear two things. One that the casket will somehow malfunction or two that the family will be disappointed in it and feel it doesn't properly represent the love they have for her. No matter, I've committed at this point.

I am also considering something in the shaker style, which would be a good match with the cherry, but obviously I don't see any images online. Does anyone have any pictures that might serve as inspiration?

[Mel Fulks]

You can do it. Keep it simple. Find out if coffin will be open or closed ,either way don't use hinges ,just screws. Consider not only the coffin but what it will rest on. If it is one of those chrome things with wheels ,see that it is draped with black cloth all the way to floor. Insist that the coffin be hand carried not rolled out. You know she wants a simple wood coffin,it's just a box. Exert some influence ,or even pressure to make sure all is done with dignity. Even an expensive funeral can be lacking in dignity, if a friend does not assure it.

[Keith Westfall]

Check this out - lots of info if I remember correctly... - and if I can post it.

somethingcreative-alexanders.blogspot.ca/

[Alan Marchbanks]

Silas, I just searches Bing Images for home built casket, and got lots of pix, some look very good. Wish you well with your project.

Alan

[Jim Dwight]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Extra sad with young kids involved. My two were out of college and supporting themselves when their mother died. It still was tough, but fortunately not financially for me. So I spent a substantial sum on her casket. You are helping significantly. I've also since learned that all the expenses can vary a lot. My mom saved about half the cost of cremating my sister by dealing directly with the crematory. Not fun stuff to deal with but part of life.

Northwoods Casket Company offers free plans for a very simple design I am sure you could complete. They are at northwoodscasket.com/build-your-own-casket. As has been mentioned, there are lots of free plans available over the net. It seems the normal size is about 84 inches long by about 28 wide and 23 deep.

[Brad Barnhart]

Excellent post, Mr. Smith. You should be commended for taking this on. A project like of this size & type is a heart breaking project that demands appreciation & respect. Use glue, & were it me, stainless steel screws at the joints. Seeing as her wish is a simple casket, as mentioned, I would use rope handles to handle it. I would allow some extra room when you build it in order to get her the casket properly. My wife & I have discussed this very subject several times of building of our own caskets. As also mentioned, check with the mortician about the necessary hardware, & laws concerning this. Every state has its own laws & stipulations on that. Good luck with your project, & take care, my friend.

[Wayne Lovell]

Check with the state and local authorities where you are located as to what is required, don't trust the funeral director. When my mother was terminally ill she and my father wanted the simplest service possible without the concrete burial vault etc. A "friend" of mine owned a funeral home told me that the state of Texas required a burial vault. I did some investigation and found out that there was no such legal requirement ( it was required by most cemeteries in the Houston area for their convenience to minimize settling.) She was buried in a small rural cemetery which did have those requirements.

Remember they are in the business to sell you things you don't need, such as innerspring caskets and burial vaults that have a 2000 year warranty against leaking (they really tried to sell me that but they could not give a good answer when I asked them who to call if it had leaked when I dug it up in 2000 years to check}.

[John T Barker]

Schiffer publishing had a book on this years back when I worked at Woodcraft. https://www.amazon.com/Yourself-Coffins-Pets-People-Woodworkers/dp/0764303376/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3SY6C3EF4NV4JZFP2FAG

amazon has one or tow other books. The hardware by rockler is mentioned above. My condolences.

[Mel Fulks]

I agree with Wayne. Some states even have laws against anyone selling a casket or coffin who is not a liscenced undertaker. The result of lobbying.